Outside mounted room air conditioner



Dec. 22, 1970 M. D. uLmH OUTSIDE MOUNTED ROOM AIR CONDITIONER 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 5, 1968 .m RI 0 U H m N E W l f T -m m FIG.2.

WITNESSES 1970 I M. D. uucu I 3,548,1fi

OUTSIDE MOUNTED ROOM AIR CONDITIONER Filed Dec. 5, 1968 5Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 22, 1970 ULICH OUTSIDE MOUNTED ROOM AIR (JONDITIONER 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. 5, 1968 Dec. 22, 1970 uL cH 3,548fifl OUTSIDE MOUNTED ROOM AIR CONDITIONER Filed Dec. -5, 1968 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 F l GL9.

Patented Dec. 22, 1970 3,548,611 OUTSIDE MOUNTED ROOM AIR CONDITIONER Michael D. Ulich, Columbus, Ohio, assignor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Dec. 5, 1968, Ser. No. 781,516 Int. Cl. Fd 23/12 US. Cl. 62-262 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An outside mounted room air conditioner having a main section which depends along a building wall below a window, and a separate duct section extending from the upper portion of the main section to the window, and a mounting arrangement which supports the main section independently of any support provided by the duct section and which includes adjustable means for both moving the main section up and down and also plumbing the main section so that proper alignment between the :main section and the window opening is easily afforded for the installation of the duct section.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS Related US. patent applications are Oberdier, Ser. No. 781,518 entitled Outside Mounted Room Air Conditioner Structure and Ulich, Ser. No. 781,517, entitled Air Conditioner Duct Sect-ion.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention pertains to the art of mounting room air conditioners.

Description of the prior art Room air conditioners which are mounted substantially entirely outside of the room being conditioned and which include a casing which depends along the building wall outside of a window, and which are adapted to provide cooling through the use of mechanical refrigeration, are known, as evidenced by the following US. patents: 3,313,122; D. 179,726; 2,737,788; 2,667,765; 2,660,867; 2,660,866. Additionally, evaporative cooling units which are similar in general construction from the standpoint of having a main casing or section, and a duct section attaching the main casing to a window opening, and which may pose similar problems in connection with their mounting, are disclosed in the following US. patents 2,789,494; 2,720,826; 2,608,148; 2,380,586.

Outside mounted room air conditioners of the type which depend (i.e. extend downwardly) along the building wall below the window to a substantial degree provide number of advantages as compared to the typical window mounted room air conditioner which has substantially no part depending below the bottom of the window. Such advantages are generally known and include such things as low noise level, limited obstruction of the viewing area of the window, and the potential for a relatively high capacity rating without the increase in physical size of the unit being observable from inside the room. However, to the extent that such units have been proposed as evidenced by the paents first listed, and even with the substantial advantages afforder by such units, they have not been commercially successful to any large degree so far as I know.

For a room air conditioner to achieve commercial success under prevailing marketing conditions, a number of requirements should be met by the air conditioner. Among such requirements are that its cost be compatible with its capacity rating, that it be of a reasonable size for the rating, that its performance characteristics be comparable with other room air conditioners of about the same cost, and that it be of a character that it may be installed without undue difiiculty in its intended location. The outside mounted room air conditioner with which this invention is concerned is one which is highly developed to meet the requirements above, and holds the promise of capturing a reasonable part of the market. However, the mounting arrangement posed substantial problems because of the nature of the air conditioner. Thus while the invention may be viewed in one way as a mounting arrangement for a room air conditioner, the character of the room air conditioner itself is such that the mounting arrangement is intimately related to that character of the unit.

In that connection, the character of the duct section which joins the upper part of the main section of the room air conditioner to the window opening is material in a consideration of this invention. The main section of the room air conditioner contains all of the refrigeration and air moving components. Since the air conditioner is of relatively high capacity and of a premium nature, these components make the main section relatively heavy. The function of the duct section is essentially only that of providing passages for circulating air between the room and the main section of the air conditioner. Since the cooling of the air takes place in the main section, and it is desirable that there be limited heat exchange between the atmosphere and the air inside the duct section, for practical purposes it is desirable that the duct section provides substantial thermal insulation, minimum loss by leakage through air seals, and finally that the pressure drop incurred by the passage of the air through the duct section be relatively low. These design criteria may be accomplished in various ways of course, but an additional requirement is that the material of which the duct section is constructed be of a nature that it may be cut to size by a customer having no special skill and no special tools other than those which may be reasonably and economically provided with the air conditioner. Accord ingly, the currently preferred duct takes the form of a single molded part of rigid urethane foam molded in a special way so that it has a relatively low average density but also has a skin which is capable of withstanding reasonable abuse of handling and finishing. The duct provides relatively good thermal insulation, and may be readily cut to size by a customer without special tools other than those furnished with the air conditioner. However, this type of duct is substantially nonload-bearing for purposes of providing any material support to the main section of the air conditioner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the invention deals with the combination of this type of air conditioner having a nonload-bearing duct section and a support arrangement which permits the mounting of the room air conditioner with reasonable ease and adjustability so that a superior installation may be readily obtained. The invention may be characterized further as the combination of a room air conditioner which has a main section adapted for positioning outside the building to extend down along the building wall below the window in the wall, and a duct section of sub stantially nonload-bearing material extending between the upper portion of the main section of the window, and support means for supporting the main section directly from the building and independently of any significant support provided by the duct section connection between the main section and the window opening. The support means includes upper support means attached to the sill of the wnidow and to the main section, and lower support means extending from the main section to the exterior face of the building wall, both of these support means being adjustable, one in a vertical, and the other in a horizontal direction, so that the main section may be moved in both a vertical direction and plumbed to properly align the upper parts of the main section with the window opening.

The upper support means may take the form of a pair of plates spaced apart on the window sill and attached thereto, with upstanding threaded studs carrying nuts which support a pair of equally spaced brackets on the upper part of the main section, the brackets having apertures therein to receive the studs.

In another form, the upper support means may take the form of a hinged member attached to the building, and a complementary member attached to the buildingfacing face of the main section of the room air conditioner, the one section of the hinged member being attached to the window sill and the other section of the hinged member receiving the main section member, with means being provided to adjust the extent to which the main section memberis received by the hinged member so that the height of the unit relative to the window may be adjusted. This latter arrangement is particularly advantageous in connection with the installation of the rorn air conditioner at some substantial height above ground level and when it is difficult to handle the air conditioner from a location outside of the building. The first arrangement is considered as the standard mounting arrangement and is normally preferred for ground level installations of the room air conditioner.

DRAWING DESCRIPTION FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a room air conditioner and mounting arrangement according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the inner face of the main section of the air conditioner before it is mounted to the building;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary isometric view from outside of the lower portion of the window in a building ready to receive the main section of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view similar to FIG. 1 with the main section mounted, but before the duct section has been installed;

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of the hinge bracket used in connection with an upper level installation;

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of the unit support channel used for an upper level installation;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view of the inner face of the main section with the unit support channel of FIG. 6 attached thereto;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary isometric view from outside of the lower portion of the window and the hange bracket of FIG. 5 during the attachment procedure;

FIG. 9 is a side view illustrating the main section being moved into attaching relation with the upper support means;

FIG. 10 is a side view illustrating the main section being swung out into position following the step illustrated in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a side view illustrating the main section in its finally mounted position; and

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary isometric view from inside the room of the lower portion of the window, and with the duct section removed and a winter cover installed on the main section.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The view of FIGS. 1-4 illustrate the embodiment of the invention which will normally be utilized when the air condiitoner will be mounted to the building from outside of the building, such as ground level installations. The views of FIGS. 5-11 are of an embodiment which will normally be preferred when the air conditioner is to be mounted at a relatively high level and the manipulations involved in the mounting are handled by people working from within the room, as distinguished from working from outside the building. This is not to suggest that the low level mounting of FIGS. l-4 may not be used at an upper level, and vice versa regarding the high level mounting but it will be appreciated that because of the weight of the unit, it will normally be preferred for ease of mounting that the lower level installation be limited to such lower installations.

The two main parts of the room air conditioner unit according to the invention are the main section 10 (FIG. 1) and the duct section 11. The main section is of generally rectangular, box-shape and is designed to depend along the outside of a building wall 12 below a window opening 13 in the building wall. The window assembly illustrated is of the typical single or double hung wooden type and includes a window sash 14 which is vertically movable in the sash tracks, a window stool 15, and the window sill 16.

The main section 10 contains the refrigeration system components and the air fiow components which together contribute most of the weight of the unit. The locations of these components within the main section are designated by the dash-line outlines in FIG. 1 and include a refrigerant compressor 18, condenser 19, and a condenser fan 20 driven by electric motor 21, all of these components enumerated being in the lower part of the main section as illustrated. The upper part of the main section contains a pair of fans in housings 22 driven by an electric motor 23 positioned between the fan wheel housings, a refrigerant evaporator 24, duct work 25 leading from the fan housing discharge to the upstream face of the evaporator and the motor capacitors and other electrical control components (not shown) located between the fan housings and duct work adjacent the outer face 26 of the main section.

The duct section 11 (FIG. 1) is a single molded part of polyurethane foam, open on both ends, having relatively thick (i.e., about outer walls and a thick inner wall 27 for thermal insulating purposes, and being coupled on its flared outer end 28 to the open upper portion 29 (FIG. 2) of the main section inner face 30. The open inner end 31 of the duct section 11 is provided with a decorative front 32 (preferably as the character disclosed and claimed in my US. patent application Ser. No. 685,699), which cooperates with the bottom rail of the sash 14, the opposite sash tracks, and the stool 15 to provide a sealed and attractive front for the air conditioner as viewed from inside the room being conditioned.

In operation, air is drawn from the room through the lower passage 33 of the duct section by the fans 22, is forced through the duct work 25 and through the evaporator 24 where it is cooled, and is then passed through upper passage 34 of the duct section and back out the front 32 into the room. It will be appreciated that with this air flow arrangement substantial cooling loss may occur in the duct section. Accordingly, the duct section 11 is formed of lightweight, rigid, closed cell urethane foam material for thermal insulation and its other desirable attributes. This duct material being a substantially nonload-bearing character, it is desirable that the main section 10 be supported from the building without relying upon any material support which might be provided by the duct section. Further, since the duct section material is of a character which is subject to damage more easily than, say, a metal clad duct section, it is desirable that the main section 10 be mounted in a way that it may be easily adjusted to th proper position for the installation of the duct section so that distorting or forcing the duct section is not necessary during the installation.

In accordance with the invention then, the mounting arrangement for this particular room air conditioner includes upper support means generally designated 35, and lower support means generally designated 36. The upper support means of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 includes a pair of sill plates 37 spaced apart along the length of the sill 16, each being provided with an upstanding threaded stud 38 carrying a bearing nut 39, and

a pair of unit support brackets 40 (FIG. 2) which are of generally angle shape in cross-section with one leg of the angle fixed to and lying against the inner face 30 of the main section closely below the open portion 29, and the other leg of each of the brackets projecting away from the inner face. The latter legs each have an aperture 41 therein which receives the end of the stud when the main section is moved into mounted relation with the building. A lock nut 42 is turned onto the stud after the unit support bracket is received on the stud.

The lower support means 36 of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 4 include a pair of spaced-apart leveling and plumbing screws 43 which have extended surface heads for bearing against the exterior face of the building wall, and threaded shanks which are turned into weld nuts 44 secured against the inside face of the main section wall 30. A lock nut 45 is also provided on the shank of each of the leveling screws,

The steps taken to install the main section of the air conditioner, where the mounting arrangement is as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, is to first secure the sill plates 37 to the sill 16 with a specified spacing therebetween, by means of the fasteners 46 turned down through the sill plate into the sill (FIG. 3). The unit brackets 40 (FIG. 2) are then fastened to the inner face 30 of the main section by screws turned into prepunched holes established by the manufacturer. The leveling screws 43 of the lower support means are turned into the weld nuts 44, and adjusted so that the bearing face of the head of the leveling screw is spaced from the inner face 30 of the main section the same distance as the sill protrudes beyond the outer face of the building, The lock nuts 45 are then turned up to hold the leveling screws at this position. The main section 10 is then lifted into place so that the apertures 41 in the unit support brackets receive the threaded studs 38 of the sill plate. The bearing nuts 39 on each of the sill plate studs are then turned up or down so that a level line from the top face of the main section is a given distance above the top face of the window stool 15. In this connection it is noted that if the window to which the unit is installed is of the common aluminum single or double hung type, the main section is adjusted so that the top face of the main section is at that same distance above the top edge of the inner upstanding flange of the aluminum window. The leveling screws 43 are then readjusted if necessary to insure that the vertical faces of the main section 10 are plumb, and the top face is level.

The duct section 11 is cut to a depth (the dimension between the open inner and outer ends) which equals the distance between the inner face 30 of the main section and the outwardly-facing edge of the stool 15, less the thickness dimension of the decorative front assembly 32. The control box 47, which is secured to the main section during shipping in the position shown in FIG. 2, is then loosened from the main section and fastened inside the lower passageway 33 of the duct section adjacent a bottom corner of the inner open end of the duct section in the location illustrated in FIG. l. The front 32 is then assembled to the inner open end 31 of the duct section by being simply pressed on, and the duct section is then attached to the upper open portion 29 of the main section. The duct section has predrilled holes therein through which spacer screws 48 (FIG. 1) are inserted and turned loosely into the two top duct support tabs 49 and the two side duct support tabs 50. Before tightening these spacer screws 48, a duct sealing gasket 51 (FIG. 1) which is of U-shape in outline, and generally of T-shape in cross section, is installed in position to seal along the top and side junctures between the duct section and the main section. After the duct seal gasket has been installed the decorative front is finally manipulated into its installed position and the window 14 brought down to rest upon the top edge of the decorative front.

The upper support means for the main section 10 used in connection with an upper level installation and in lieu of the upper support means 35 which would normally be used for a lower level installation, is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. One main part is the hinged bracket 55 attached to the building and comprising the sill plate 56 and channel receiving track 57. The other main part is the unit sup port member 58 attached to the main section and taking the form of a relatively long channel having oppositely directed flanges 59 along each of the longitudinal edges, and an elongated screw 60 attached to the one end of the channel by a bracket 61 which holds the screw for rotation but prevents its axial movement.

As shown in FIG. 5, the sill plate 56 and the channel receiving track 57 are held together in hinged relation by pintle 62 which passes through the upstanding ears provided on both the plate and track. A pair of hinge springs 63 bias the track portion upwardly relative to the sill plate so that the hinge support bracket assumes the disposition shown in FIG. 5 before the engagement of the main section channel 58. The channel receiving track has bent-over margins 64 along opposite edges for slidably receiving the flanges 59 of the channel during the mounting operation, the inner ends of the bent-over margins being inclined upwardly to provide mouths 65 to facilitate the entry of the flanges into their tracks, The channel receiving track 57 further includes a fixed block 66 thereon with a threaded bore 67 therein to receive the screw member 60 of the unit support channel.

FIG. 7 shows the unit support channel 58 attached to the inner face 30 of the main section with the fixed portion of the screw 60 at the upper end. It will be noted that the unit support channel is not centered on the width of the main section, the off-center location of the channel corresponding to the approximate center of gravity of the main section in a sideways direction to better balance the main section. The bight of the channel is secured in abutting relation to the inner face 30 of the main section so that the flanges 59 are spaced away from the face.

FIG. 8 illustrates the installed relation of the hinged support bracket to the sill 15. The width of the sill plate 56 is designed so that its one edge aligns with the center line of the window opening. This locates the hinge support bracket so that with the unit channel in its pre-established off-center location on the main section, the main section as a whole will be centered with the window opening, although the upper support means therefor will be olf-center with the window opening. The channel receiving track is forced downwardly to its illustrated position in FIG. 8, against the force of the hinge springs, during the installation to properly locate the in-and-out location of the sill plate 56 on the sill. The sill plate is fastened to a wood sill by wood screws, or with special fasteners if the sill is brick or concrete. After the sill plate is secured to the sill, the track portion is permitted to move back up to an upwardly-tilted disposition as illustrated in FIG. 5.

The installation of the main section 10 from a location within the room to be conditioned is best understood in connection with the views of FIGS. 9-11. The main section 10 is lifted to a position so that its inner face 30 is facing downwardly, with the unit support channel 58 resting on the window stool 15, and with the flanges 59 aligned with the tracks formed by the margins 64 of the track member 57. The distribution of weight in the main section 10 is such that the main section tends to be only slightly out of balance on the window stool 15 when in its disposition shown in FIG. 9. This eases the manipulation necessary to insure that the flanges 59 of the unit support channel are directed into the edge tracks of the track member. The main section is then carefully slid outwardly until the free end of the screw 60 engages the bore 67 of the block 66. The unit support channel is substantially longer than the screw 60 to insure that a substantial length of the flanges 59 will be received within the tracks before the main section extends out of the window very far. The main section is then pivoted outwardly to and through a position as shown in FIG. 10 with the main section being supported wholly by the screw bearing against the block 66. The main section 10 is then lowered into its correct position by rotating the upper end of the screw 60 until the top of the main section 10 is a given distance above the top edge of the window stool or, with an aluminum window installation, is same given distance above the front inside edge of the frame bottom of the aluminum window.

Referring to FIG. 11, the stability of the main section 10 is preferably enhanced by the use of the lower support means 36, the same as used with the lower level installation illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 4, these lower support means including the plumbing screws 43 and associated lock nuts. To insure against side-to-side tilting, an additional pair of leveling screws 68 (FIG. 11) may be attached to the unit support brackets 40 and adjusted up and down by means of a lower nut 69, and then secured in place by lock nuts 70.

The remainder of the installation, including the fastening of the duct section 11, positioning of the control box 47, and installation of the front, as well as sealing of any openings in the window, is carried out in the same fashion as described in connection with the installation of the lower level mounting arrangement of FIGS. 1 through 4.

For winter, the support arrangement according to the invention leads itself to removal of the duct section, replacement of the control box in the main section space, and closing of the open upper portion 29 with a cover 71 as shown in FIG. 12. The cover may be of shallow pan shape so that the same attaching brackets may be used as for the duct section. This then permits the window sash to be closed and opened as if there were no air conditioner associated with the window, and also permits the air conditioner to be brought back in service the following year without requiring remounting the main section.

What I claim is:

1. In combination, a room air conditioner having a main section adapted for positioning outside the building to extend down along the building wall below a window including a sill in the wall, and a separable duct section of substantially non-load bearing material, extending between the upper portion of said main section to the window; and support means supporting said main section directly from said building and independently of any substantial support provided by the duct section connection between the main section and the window, said support means including upper support means carried by said building and attached to said main section, and lower support means extending from said main section to the exterior face of said building wall, both said upper support means and said lower support means being adjustable, in a vertical and horizontal direction, respectively, so that said main section may be moved in a vertical direction, and plumbed, respectively, to properly align the upper portion of said main section with said window opening for the subsequent installation of said duct section.

2. In the combination of claim 1:

said upper support means includes a pair of spaced apart plates fixed to the sill of said window, each plate having an upstanding member having vertically adjustable means thereon, and a pair of spaced apart brackets attached to said main section and having portions adapted to receive said upstanding members.

3. In the combination of claim 2:

said upstanding members compirse threaded studs and said vertically adjustable means thereon compirse nuts.

4. In the combination of claim 1:

said upper support means includes a hinged bracket member having a first part attached to said window still, and a second part on the opposite side of the hinge line including tracks means and being pivotable from an outwardly-projecting position to a depending position along said building wall, said upper support means further including slide means fixed to the inner face of said main section and slidably engageable with said track means.

5. In the combination of claim 4:

said slide means carries an elongated screw fixed for rotation and held against axial movement, said second part of said hinged bracket includes a threaded bore for receiving said screw so that with said screw received in said bore, rotation of said screw effects the adjustment of said main section in a vertical direction relative to said hinged bracket.

6. In the combination of claim 4:

said hinged bracket includes bias means urging said second part to said outwardly-projecting position so that said slide means is generally aligned with said track means for facilitating engagement therebetween when said main section is moved generally horizontally out through said window opening.

7. In the combination of claim 4:

said slide means is located and fixed on said inner face of said main section to correspond generally with the location of the center of gravity of said main section relative to its width.

8. In the combination of claim 1:

duct support brackets fastened to said main section about said upper portion of said main section for accommodating attachment of said duct section to said main section; and

a winter cover sized to overlie said upper portion of said main section and attachable to said duct support brackets for covering the open part of said upper portion of the main section when said air conditioner is out of service.

9. In the combination of claim 1:

said upper support means includes means attaching it to the sill of said window.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS WILLIAM J. WYE, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 9894 

